POSTGAME 5: Flyers Douse Flames, 4-3

The Philadelphia Flyers gutted out a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday afternoon. With Travis Konecny exiting the game in the latter stages of the second period due to an upper body injury, the Flyers had their hands full but found a way to win.

The Flyers netted the only goal of the first period. Konecny (27th goal of the season) scored off the rush at 16:59.
In the second period, moments after a Philadelphia penalty expired, Nicolas Deslauriers (3rd) converted a saucer pass from Cam York to make it 2-0 at 7:30. The Flames narrowed the deficit to 2-1 on a Mikael Backlund snipe (12th) at 12:55. Philly restored a two-goal margin -- again very shortly after a penalty kill ended -- as Tony DAngelo (10th) was set up by James van Riemsdyk and scored.
In the third period, the Flyers were held without a shot for more than 11 minutes and were outshot, 11-3, overall. Calgary drew back within 3-2 on a Tyler Toffoli (23rd) rebound goal at 4:38 and then tied the game as Andrew Mangiapane (13th) snuck a shot home from a difficult angle. Finally, the Flyers reclaimed the lead to stay as Wade Allison (8th) was rewarded for going to the net at 11:33.
The Flyers caught a huge break at 16:13 of the third period as Blake Coleman hit the post on a clean breakaway. Philly killed off the remaining time to skate off with the regulation win.
Samuel Ersson ran his record to 6-0-0 as he turned back 33 of 36 shots to earn the win in goal for the Flyers. Jacob Markström stopped 18 of 22 Flyers shots in a losing cause.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Flames were 0-for-4.
Travis Sanheim, who played his junior hockey in Calgary for the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, was a healthy scratch for this game. Justin Braun remained in the lineup. Forward Olle Lycksell dressed for the game after the Flyers went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Saturday in Vancouver.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
13 Kevin Hayes - 21 Scott Laughton - 74 Owen Tippett
25 James van Riemsdyk - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 49 Noah Cates - 38 Patrick Brown
62 Olle Lycksell - 86 Joel Farabee - 57 Wade Allison
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
45 Cam York - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 77 Tony DeAngelo
33 Samuel Ersson
[79 Carter Hart]
TURNING POINT
The Flyers had led or been tied for the entire game but seemed to be in deep trouble -- playing without the injured Konecny, shortening the bench and hemmed in their own end most of the third period -- as Calgary turned a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 deadlock with all the momentum on their side. However, at 11:33, Allison capped off one of his best shifts of the entire season by restoring the lead for the Flyers.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) In the opening minute of the game, Frost won the game's first faceoff, Tippett blocked a shot, and the Flyers iced the puck. After Dennis Gilbert dropped Deslauriers with a big hit along the side boards in the Flyers' zone, Seeler fought Gilbert at 1:21.
Ersson was tested for the first time by Rasmus Andersson. After a failed clearing opportunity for Laughton, Mikael Backlund had a prime scoring chance. At the other end of the ice, Markström denied a Deslauriers deflection from close range.
DeAngelo had a scorning chance at 5:06 off a centering pass from Tippett as the Flyers' defenseman joined the attack. Through 6:53, shots on goal were 4-2 Calgary.
A 2-on-1 for Tippett and Laughton was broken up by MacKenzie Weegar. It sequence started with a good defensive play by Hayes. Two shifts later, Ersson stopped Pelletier one-on-one.
Hart stopped a drive by Elias Lindholm. The Flames maintained possession. A delayed holding penalty was called on Ristolainen. The while blew for the touch-up 13:13 after Ristolainen (playing without a stick) blocked a shot.
On the ensuing power play, Hart made an excellent shoulder save on a Mangiapane shot. The power play ended with 1:02 remaining as Mangiapane was called for hooking Provorov.
Frost made some slick stickhandling moves and got a shot (despite being 1-on-3) on net late the abbreviated 4-on-4. Late in the Flyers' power play, however, Frost was stopped cold on an entry and the Flames attacked 2-on-0 and Ersson made a 10-bell save moving across to rob Huberdeau at 16:17.
The Flyers grabbed a 1-0 lead at 16:59. Cates started a counterattack high in the defensive zone and passed to Konecny. Finding room for himself on a bad defense pair crossover, Konecny cut across the left circle into the slot and fired off a shot that beat Markström. Cates and DeAngelo earned the assists.
There was a dangerous moment on a puck misplay by Provorov in the defensive zone. Fortunately for the Flyers, Toffoli passed up an open shot and the play went awry. At the other end of the ice, Cates put a long snapshot on Markström. The goalie gloved it down.
With 49.4 seconds left in the first period, Konecny iced the puck. Frost won the ensuing defensive zone faceoff against Nazem Kadri and the Flyers got the puck out of the defensive zone.
2) First period shots on goal were 12-10 Calgary. Shot attempts were 27-13 Calgary. Scoring chances were 16-9 Calgary with a 7-1 high-danger edge (per Natural Stat Trick) to the Flames. Faceoffs favored Calgary, 12-7. Backund was 4-for-4.
Ersson was the Flyers' best player in the first period. The Flames definitely had the more frequent and more dangerous scoring chances but the flow of play wasn't as lopsided by the eye test as the underlying numbers would suggest. Of course, all that ultimately mattered was Konecny's goal and Ersson's many strong saves.
3) The second period started with three quick shots on goal by Calgary. Tippett blocked a Weegar shot at 1:03.
Ersson made a save off his mask. Tippett and Gilbert had some shoving and chirping at a stoppage after a nice effort by Tippett on a solo rush attempt.
At 5:22, York was called for tripping Mangiapane in the defensive zone. The far side referee made the (accurate) call. Laughton came within a whisker of a shorthanded goal. Dube wasn't able to finish off a breakaway at the other end and then Konecny had a shorthanded chance.
As York exited the box, he received a long pass from the defensive zone by Laughton that actually seemed to be intended for Deslauriers. In the Calgary zone, York saucered a pass to Deslauriers going to the net, who finished it off on the backhand for a 2-0 lead at 7:30. The assists went to York and Laughton.
Ersson mishandled a puck but erased it as Lucic was unable to capitalize.
Calgary got a goal back at 8:55. Backlund had a clear lane to the slot after taking the puck off the side boards. He then roofed a shot over a screened Ersson from the right slot. The assists went to Gilbert and Mangiapane.
The Flames had another scoring chance on the very next shift. Frost blocked Weegar near the net and then Lucic missed the net.
At 9:18, the Flames went back to the power play as Seeler was sent off for tripping. Ersson made a good save on Lindholm on the kill. The Flyers killed the penalty off and then scored shortly after play went back to 5-on-5.
The sequence started with Seeler receiving the puck as he left the penalty box. Subsequently, Konecny passed out to DeAngelo, who buried a shot from the deep center slot to give Philly a 3-1 lead at 11:31.
At 11:52, York erased a Weegar scoring chance with a block in the low slot. After play moved the other way, Markström turned aside a Lycksell shot.
With 6:19 remaining in the second period, Konecny was hit from behind by Weegar. TK was a distance from the boards. Konecny immediately went down the tunnel to the locker room.
At 15:30, a scoring chance for Frost was blocked by Tavev at the bottom of the right circle.
The Flyers closed out the period on the penalty kill. Brown was whistled off for elbowing at 19:08. The Flames took 52 seconds of carryover power play time into the third period.
4) Second period shots on goal were 13-9 Calgary. Shot attempts were 27-17 Flames. Scoring chances were even at 15-15 but with an 8-4 high-danger edge to Philly. Ersson continued to step up huge but the story of the period was the Flyers two goals very shortly after killing off minor penalties. However, Konecny's exit from the game raised concerns. He did not return for the third period.
5) With 54 seconds remaining on the kill, Ersson stopped a right-circle shot by Jakob Pelletier. Late in the kill, an active stick by Seeler deflected a cross-seam pass attempt out of play. Just as the power play expired, Ersson stopped a point shot through traffic by Weegar.
25 hit Provorov behind the net. went of favoring his right shoulder. He returned for his next shift.
Ersson made a tough save on a wide open Andersson. Cates subsequently made quick amends for a failed clear but taking the puck away from a Flame.
At 4:38, the Flames drew back within 3-2. Toffoli, from a sharp angle, beat Ersson between the legs. Dube and Hanafin earned the helpers.
The Flyers spent the next two shifts in their own end. At 6:06 and 6:14, the Flyers iced the puck. On the latter, Ersson stopped another point shot from Weegar. A shift later, Seeler blocked a developing chance for Toffoli.
Frost had an uncredited takeaway at the defensive blueline.
The Flames tied the game at 3-3 at the 8:54 mark. Backlund tipped a Hanafin shot on net and Mangiapane potted the rebound. Laughton argued for an interference penalty on the play, to no avail.
Shots on goal in the third period were 8-0 Calgary at the midpoint.
Allison capped off a tremendous shift -- powering to the net on an entry -- by going to the net again and tipping in a JVR feed at 11:33. The lone assist went to van Riemsdyk as Philly took a 4-3 lead on their first shot on goal of the third period.
At 12:25, Ersson made his 30th save of the game, stopping an Andersson point shot.
The Flyers went to the power play at 15:57 as Kadri took down Provorov right off a faceoff.
With 3:47 left in regulation, Coleman had Ersson beaten on a breakaway backhander. Fortunately for the Flyers, the puck hit the post and stayed out of the net.
The Flames pulled Markström for an extra attacker in the final 90 seconds of regulation. Calgary used their timeout. Cates had a clear. Tippett iced the puck with 38.1 seconds left. Frost won the ensuing draw. JVR was blatantly hooked as he moved up ice toward the empty net. There was no call. Laughton won two faceoffs and time expired.
Third period shots were 11-3 Calgary. Shot attempts were a whopping 30-6 in Calgary's favor. Scoring chances were listed as 17-4 Calgary by Natural Stat Trick, with a 6-2 high danger edge. Final faceoff stats were 43-31 Calgary but the late faceoff wins by Frost and Laughton helped close out the Philadelphia win.